Question

read the excerpt from \tools of the spymaster.\

later, as clintons troops were heading up the hudson valley, clinton used another device to pass the news of his whereabouts to burgoyne. clinton wrote a message on a piece of silk that he put in a silver ball about the size of a musket ball. (clinton also sometimes cut a message into long, narrow strips and coiled them into the hollow quill of a large feather.) clinton gave the silver ball to daniel taylor, a young officer, promising that taylor would be promoted if he got the message to burgoyne. if he were captured, he was to swallow the ball. because it was made of silver, it could not harm him.

the authors main purpose in this excerpt is to

• persuade the reader that a spy named daniel taylor is a hero.
• entertain the reader with a humorous story about a young officer.
• prove that spying was the only way for the americans to win the war.
• give an example of creative spying during the american revolution.

Explanation:

Analyze the central topic of the excerpt

The text describes specific, clever methods used by Clinton to send secret messages (writing on silk inside a silver ball, coiling strips into a feather quill) and the instructions given to Daniel Taylor to swallow the silver ball if captured. This focuses on the inventive and unusual techniques of espionage.

Evaluate the given options against the text

• Option 1 suggests persuading the reader that Daniel Taylor is a hero, but the text is informative and neutral, not persuasive.
• Option 2 suggests entertaining with a humorous story, but the tone is historical and informative rather than comedic.
• Option 3 suggests proving spying was the only way to win, which is an overstatement not supported by this specific passage.
• Option 4 states the purpose is to give an example of creative spying during the American Revolution, which directly aligns with the descriptions of the silver ball and feather quill devices.

Answer:

• (A) persuade the reader that a spy named Daniel Taylor is a hero.
• (B) entertain the reader with a humorous story about a young officer.
• (C) prove that spying was the only way for the Americans to win the war.
• (D) give an example of creative spying during the American Revolution. (Correct answer)